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Catcher In The Rye: Character Comparison

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Ganen Chinniah English 10 Honors Mrs. Rowe September 12, 2017
Catcher in the Rye Character Comparison
In The Catcher in the Rye , J.D. Salinger utilizes a first-person point of view in the novel, which allows the reader to learn more about the traits of Holden, the protagonist. This leaves the reader to learn about the traits of the other characters through Holden. Out of all the characters in the novel, Holden spends the most time describing is his sister Phoebe. Although they are siblings, Holden and Phoebe have countless differences in their outlook on life, academics, and social lives.
One area where Holden and Phoebe show contrast is their outlook on life. Holden is a pessimist while Phoebe is an optimist. Phoebe looks to the future, which can be observed through her notebook containing all her dreams for adulthood (Salinger, 160). Holden, on the other hand, lives for the moment …show more content…

Holden doesn’t care about his grades, which he demonstrates by flunking out of Pencey Prep (Salinger, 4). Phoebe, however, works hard and earns decent grades. This can be observed through her notebook filled with notes (Salinger, 160). Holden claims to be only good at English, the single subject he wasn’t failing in at the time of his dismissal from Pencey Prep(Salinger, 10). In contrast, Phoebe is a well-rounded student, which is shown by the variety of books and notes she takes along with Holden’s word (Salinger,

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